When her marriage fell apart and her sister died, Amanda Machin was left on the verge of suicide.
In her hour of darkness, the 50-year-old turned to someone she believed she could trust ”“ her local Anglican vicar.
But, Mrs Machin alleged, the Rev Steve Rankin persuaded her to part with £160,000 and left her ”˜penniless’.
If his ecclesiastical career now falters, he may consider becoming
a Wall Street huckster peddling derivatives of highly dubious
quality.
With all the education church leaders receive surrounding sexual abuse, I think we also need to add spiritual abuse to that list, which both this vicar and his Bishop are committing. Frankly, the Bishop is protecting him while he should immediately defrock him for this abusive behavior. Clearly this behavior is unbecoming of a clergyman, scandalous for the Church, and tarnishes Jesus.
I, too, would hope that Bishop Peter’s response is a provisional one, pending an investigation of the circumstances. For a committed Evangelical to overlook such behavior would be neither commendable nor wise. If – and it is a big if – the facts are as reported, then the presbyter involved has surely forfeited any claim to incumbency.
#1–Or he could run for President of the United States.